Live-bait holder.



A. R. GIBSON. LIVE BAIT HOLDER.

APPLIOATIQN FILED AUG. 25, 1911.

1,025,695. Patented May 7. 1912.

341 U014 oz atto'lmw I wi/tmooeo ADELBERTVR. GIBSON, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

LIVE-BAIT HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ay 7, 1912 Application filed August 25, 1911. Serial No. 646,060.

' To all whom it may concern: 4 p l Be it known that I, ADELBER'r R. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at L08 Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a" 7 new and useful Live-Bait Holder, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention has reference to improvements in-live-bait holders, and is designed to provide a means whereby live bait may he confined in a device carrying fish hooks,

whereby the bait is given entire freedom of movement for swimming and is enabled to swim away from the fisherman, the device being intended for fishing purposes.

While the device is not confined to any particular kind of live bait, it is especially adapted for use in connect-ion with minnows or other like small fish, which are'used as to bait in fishing for larger fish.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a metallic harness which is readily adapted to small fish ofdiiferent sizes, while there is no interference with the at fihs, gills, or tail of the fish, wherefore the latter is free to swim naturally without restriction other than caused by the harness and line, and, moreover, the fish is so held by the harness or frame that its head is dito rected away from the line and consequently the naturalswimming movements of the fish will cause it to travel in a direction away from the line. The harness is provide with oppositely directed hooks so arrangec that a larger fish attempting to swallow the bait from either the head or the tail end will be engaged by the hooks carried by the harness, and so caught. I

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connect on with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the understand mg, however, that while the drawings show an a practical embodimentof the invention the latter may be variously modified 'so long as the salient features of the invention are retained.

' In the drawings :Figure '1 is a'perspective View of the bait holder inthe position i parts with relation to a fish. Fig. 3 is a cross section ofthe holderat the rear I clamping device.

. Referring" to the drawings, there is shown" a holder comprising two side'members 1', 2, designed to lie along the two sides of the body of a fish, such as indicated in dotted lines at 3, Fig.2. At one end of the frame or harness the two side members are secured to opposite sides of a ring 4 which may be elliptical in shape in conformity, with the shape of the-head end of the small fish, so that the head of the fish may be introduced through the ring at until the gills and pectoral fins have been passed. At an intermediate point the two side members 1 and 2 are joined by a yoke 5 designed to underride the body ofthe fish at an appropriate point. Theside numerals have each a continuation 6 at the end remote'from thering fl, and this continuation is first bent outwardly from the longitudinal center line 0t the holder or harness and then inwardly toward such center line. Those ends of the extensions 6-which approach each other are I finally brought together and formed into a twist 7 terminating in an eye 8 designed to receive one end of a fish line 9. The two side members 1 and 2 with their extensions 6, twist 7 and eye 8 maybe all made of one piece of wire if desired. On opposite sides of the yoke 5 the side members 1 and 2 are formed into eyes 10 in each which there is engaged the eye end of a fish hook'll, and

each fish hook is secured to the respective side members of a wrapping'12 of wire, or by any other means. -By this construction the fish hooks are held to the side members by the eyes 10 and project in opposite directions from the yoke 5, the construction being such that the points of the fish hooks on the respective sides of the holderor harness are directed one toward the other, therebeing two fishhooks on opposite sides of the head end of the harness, that is the end -designed'to receive the head of the fisli,

with the points directed'toward the tail of the fish, wherefore a larger fish attempting the fish, and there are two hooks near the tail'end of theharness with the pointsof the hooks directed toward the head end of b to swallow the small fish at eitherthe head side member 1, adjacent the extension 6 is a or the tail end thereof-will becaughtby the around the same after the 'manner. of a screw. The other end of the lOOp'Z-ILmay be in the form of an approximately straight; strand 15 terminating' in an -'enlargement 16 which may be formed by one or morei'tight coils of the member 15. The "coil 'l i with its extension 15is of a length to encircle the body of'the fish near thetail, but in po-'- sition to offer no interference tothe fins of the fish, and 'in order to'aceommodate fishes of different sizes, the coil 1 1-.is adjustable along-the coil 13, and the portion 15 be passed between any adjacent turns ofthe coil 13', so that the enlargementlti will ,lock.

therein to, prevent the coil 14 from becoming loosened. v

,A small fish, such as a minnow of appropriate size, isintroduced' into the .holderor harness by passing the headfof, the fishi through theloop 14 fromthe side thereof to" (which the side members 1 and 2 .are attached. The ring 4 may engage around the body of the: fishquite closely. t ereto with out binding, while the tail ofhe' fish will be. lodged between the ex'tendedand then narrowed portions of the frame defined by the bent extensions 6-. The coil 14.- is then passed about the body of the fish between the dorsal and ventral fins and the tail and the coil 14: is locked in posit-inn by engagement of the portion 15 withjits head 16 in an appropriate portion of-the coil; 13, the coil 1 1 having-been adjustedalongfthe coil- ,13 in accordance with the size of the fish to be lodged in the harness org-holder. I .The

yoke 5 engages'under the;body of .the fish between the pectoral fins and the ventralfin,

thus preventingjthe body ofthe fish .-from'f T sagging withrelation to the.f'harness.'- vThe fish is so disposed with; relation to the bar ness that none of the fins is confined at all,

., but is free. for naturalz usaland the gillsare also not {confined in anyl =manner" and {the naturalbreathing- 0f thefish may proceed,

Moreover, the tailhas 'free room forsidemovement, While atthe same-time the fish line will trail after'the..fish as the-latter swims awayfrom-the fisherman. The freev movements of-the fish are-the same'asa-free fish swimming through the water and consequentlythe' largerfishare more-easily enticed-to -attempt-{to swallow the bait than-would be'the case were the;

bait simply pulled falong the fishing line wi-thout- .the natural freedom of movement. 1 :The harness by not interfering in any man. "1 neriwith the natural swimmingfmovements of the fish doesnot prevent the attemptof the .fish to escape, which it will do assoon as placedin the water.

. The whole device may be very cheaply made of wire or other like form of metal, some of? the parts being joined to others simply by being coiled therearound, and some-parts may -be soldered to others, and the whole structure may be plated with any suitable metal resistant to the action of water, whether fresh water or salt water.

the baitz has been swallowed by a largerfish, or for any reason it is desirable toput a new live'fish in the, harness,this' is easlly accomplished byloosening the end 15 of the coil 14 and introducing the new fish .head foremost, through the ring 4: and then again'fastening the coil'14 in place in such adjustment of this coil as may be, found necessary toaccommodate the' new' fish which may be of a difierent size from the first fish, i

What is' claimed is 1. A bait holding device or harness comprising side members adaptedto. lie along t-he opposite sides of thebody of a fish, a closed ring adapted .for the passage of theheadof a fish therethrough and. havingthe "side members secured thereto, a yoke connecting the side: members and adapted 'to underride the body of the fish at an intermediate point, and a se arableloop adapted to encircle thebody o a fish near the tail thereof When .in theha rness and-also.. to

inclose the side members, the latter being provided with elongations first divergin' and thenconverging, and ally united a forr'ned-into a loop for the attachment of a fishing. line, the side memberscarrying fish hooks.

2. A bait holding'device or harness comprising side members ada ted to lie along the'opposite sides of the ody of a fish, a closed ringadapted for the passage'ofth'e head of a. fish-therethrough and having the ,sidemembers secured thereto, a yoke connecting the side-members and adapted to underride the body-of the fish at an inter, mediate point, a separable loop adapted to encircle the. body of a'fish near the tail thereofwhen in the-harness and also to in- .close the side members, thelatter being pro- "vided with elongations-first diverging and then converging and finally. united and formed into a loop for the attachment of a fishing line, the side members being formed at spaced points with'loo s, and fish hooks having their. pointed en s free and their other ends engaged in, the respective loops .on' the side members and also secured to sand side; members adjacent 'thepointed ends.

1 3. A'bai-t holder or harness having a loop member anda supporting and locking mem-.

bertherein in the form of a coil to which one end of the loop member is secured and along which .t may be adjusted lengthwise for theattachment 'o'f-a-"fish linelthereto,

Lees- 698 of the harness, said 100p member having free end adaptedto lock inrthe coil in any positionofjadjustment therealong. 4. A bait holding device or harness f co'm prising side members adapted to lie alongopposite sides of the body of a fish,- fish" embracing members through .re's'pect-iveones of which the head and tail portions of the; fish may project-, the/side and embracing,

membersbeing related. to-leavethe head of the fish entirely freeand-gthe tail and other swimming niembers also j entirely free, the,

1 side members being continnediin-spaced re lation one to the other for'the accommodar tion of the tail and: beyond'the tail-arranged the bait holder carryingjfish hooks.

5. A bait holdingdeyicejorharnessgcomr' prising side members adapted to lie" along opposite sides of thebody'zof a -fish, fi sh "embracing members through respectiveiones of which the head and tail portions of the and the bait holder being provided with .op-. positely directed fish hooks b'acklof thefh'ead 1 fish may project, the side, and embracing, members being related't'o leave the head of the" fish entirely free and the tail: and other T swimming members also entirely .free, the] side members. bing continued'in spaced re lation one to the other for. t-he aecommdda-Y' "tion of the tail and beyondthe tail arranged for the attachment of a fish line thereto,

'port-ion offazfish --when in the bait holder andl-in' frontjof the*tail' portion, of a fish when in' the bait holder,' said fish hooks Vided v Withila; "tailreceiving portion, havingtnemhers' spaced, apart; a distance to permitswimmmg "movements" of 'the' tail Without ;interference -the'rewith'.and provided to the '.rear oft-he tail space with-.means for the attachment of'a-fish line] 7. A bait holder or' -har1 1ess -for live bait- ,pi-ox'zided" with meanskfo'r embracingand jsupporti-hg-thebody of a fish, said holde i *haviing'contlinuations spread "apart .for the -'accommodati0n of; the tail'of a fish-Without intei'fenence with -its swimming. movement-s xandithe'n'unitedforitheattachment-0fafish I line at apoihtjto-sthe, rear of t1 1e tail end voff 'In' testimony, the-til claim the foregoing has my..;owh,' havefhereto afiixed my signature theipresence of two. witnesses.

A ELBERT. 1%,; GIB ON "Witnesses; v I 'GL'ARA', B. NELSON,

VV1LMA STEIN piercing'relation to the body 

